The hourglass legacy

Second story to appear on the site, sorry again for the delay, happy reading to all.
___________________________________________________________________

Christophe was in his antique store, quietly taking inventory. He had owned the store for three months, inheriting it from his great aunt. According to her, the store had changed his life, just as it had done for his mother. For the young man, however, nothing had changed; he was still where he'd started. He was even considering selling the store after a bad day, before changing his mind.

-Ah well, no more of this inventory of woe, I can finally make a priority list.
-And what are you going to sell first?
-AHHH don't scare me like this, Hélène.
-I've been here for fifteen minutes. Do you often talk to yourself?
-Oh well, what do you want?
-I came to give you something I found in our aunt's house.

Hélène pulled an old-looking hourglass with pink sand out of her bag.

-It looks like an old biblot, but I've checked the list and I don't see it in the inventory.
-I don't want it in my house anyway, I think it belongs here. I saw it on the counter in one of Auntie's photos.
-IF you say so, but hey, I'm not guaranteeing a sale.
-It doesn't matter, I'm going home to get ready, are we still on for tonight?
-Yes, even if I'm not totally convinced.
It's true that it would work better with a little sister, but I can't see you wearing a skirt and make-up.
-Very funny.
-See you tonight.

Hélène left his brother alone with the hourglass. The young man began to inspect it and noticed an inscription on the top, which read “Spin the hourglass 3 times and your life will forever be changed”. Christophe was amused by this phrase and began to turn the hourglass over. Shortly afterwards, he saw sparks emanating from the hourglass, which quickly took the form of a storm of magic.

Christophe tried to flee, but the storm pinned him down and he didn't notice the changes to his body. His masculine features gradually gave way to more feminine ones, without any apparent pain. When the storm subsided, Christophe caught a glimpse of his new appearance through his reflection in the mirror.

-What? No, it can't be! No, it can't be! I must be dreaming.

Christophe pinched his arm and the pain made him realize that he wasn't dreaming. He had indeed become a woman. He tried to find a rational explanation for his condition, thinking of a hallucinatory force, but when he touched his chest, he refuted the idea. He continued to search when an idea crossed his mind. If one reversal of the hourglass had caused his change, another could correct it. Christophe turned the hourglass over again, and the same phenomenon occurred. He closed his eyes, confident in his choice, but when they opened again, not only was he still a woman, but his shape had been accentuated.

-You've got to be kidding me!

Christophe decided to search the Internet for information using his phone. He then realized that the hourglass also seemed to change the reality around him, given the appearance of his phone. The young man, now a woman, searched for an hour before coming across a piece of information that seemed useful. This explained that magic works with the senses, so reworking an incantation in reverse could cancel out the effects. At this news, Christophe regained hope and turned the hourglass once more. The phenomenon repeated itself and, once again, it was Christophe's shape that was amplified, as was his look.

-I can't fucking believe it, I've done everything as described.

Christophe tried to turn the hourglass once more, but nothing happened when his phone began to ring.

-Hello, Christa?
- What are you doing, Christa? I've been waiting for you for 10 minutes.
-Hélène, you're just in time, I've got a problem...
-Tell me all about it in the car, I don't want to miss the session.
-I don't want to miss the session.
-Come on little sister, your store's doing well, it's not an exceptional outing that's going to sink you.
-I'll... I'll be right there.

As Christa hung up, she wondered, as she headed for the exit, whether her aunt had experienced the same thing when she took over the store. Only time would tell.